Retail

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From left to right: Debenham's Caroline Haycock, BRC's Alice Ellison, Kingfisher's Jo Mourant and H&M's Catarina Midby

Information overload: Why retailers must finetune sustainability communication

Retailers must be careful not to "bombard" consumers with information, despite heightened external pressures to champion Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, according to delegates from Kingfisher, H&M and Debenhams.

Starbucks carried out an 11-week trial in 16 Manchester stores earlier this year

Starbucks launches leftover food discount scheme

Starbucks has launched a new food waste scheme which will see products near expiry sold at half price during the last hour of trading, with all profits going to help prevent child hunger.

House of Fraser's head of sustainability Dr Dorothy Maxwell is among the expert speakers that will appear on stage at edie's Responsible Retail conference in September

Responsible Retailer: How House of Fraser is reinvigorating its sustainability approach

From being ahead of the curve on supply chain ethics to exploring the adoption of science-based targets, House of Fraser is rapidly making waves in the industry through its "fast moving" Responsible Retailer strategy.

As a self-supply licensee, Whitbread will pay wholesale prices

Whitbread first hospitality firm to be granted water self-supply licence

Regulator Ofwat has granted hospitality giant Whitbread a self-supply licence to deliver its own water and wastewater services for all of its brands in England.

The work was made possible through a 20% funding grant from energy provider Energia

Belfast shopping centre slashes electricity bill by a third

A West Belfast retail development has reportedly slashed its electricity costs by 33% through an energy efficiency lighting upgrade.

Surfdome's head of sustainability Adam Hall is among the expert speakers that will appear on stage at edie's Responsible Retail conference in September

Plastic packaging: Are retailers ready to face the elephant in the room?

Britain's retailers must address "the elephant in the room" that is the use of polyethene plastic for the delivery of products to and from stores, the head of sustainability at outdoor clothing company Surfdome has told edie.

When family members of the farmers are accounted for, CmiA reaches more than 6.7m people on the African continent

Brands driving economic boon for sustainable cotton in Africa

A growing focus on sustainable procurement from textile companies such as ASOS, Aldi and Jack & Jones has helped the largest label for sustainable cotton from Africa increase licensing revenues by 47% over the last 12 months.

Home Depot has a target in place to source 135MW of renewable energy by 2020

Home Depot to fit retail stores with solar panels and Tesla Powerpacks

The world's largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot, has signed an agreement with GE and Tesla to create "mini solar farms" at 50 stores in the US.

A CO2 refrigeration pack during construction. Up to 100 of Aldi's UK stores will incorporate CO2 refrigerants by the end of 2018

Aldi rolls out natural refrigerants across UK stores to cut emissions

German discount supermarket group Aldi has invested £20m in natural refrigerants which will be installed across all of its UK stores to reduce its environmental impact.

The health and wellbeing retailer is anticipating

Holland and Barrett capitalises on water retail competition with new supply deal

Health food retailer Holland and Barrett has brought hundreds of its UK sites under one contract for water retail services, after striking a new three-year deal with Anglian Water Business.

The new solar PV system consists of 2,902 individual panels, each of which measures 1.6 m², which will supply 39% of the daytime electricity used in the mall areas of the centre

'The jewel in the crown': Landsec drives towards science-based target with Britain's biggest shopping centre solar installation

The UK's largest commercial property developer has today (11 August) flicked the switch on a giant rooftop solar system at a shopping centre in Leeds, kicking off a 12-month investment programme in onsite sustainability across its estate.

36,000 businesses have switched water retailer since market competition opened

More than 36,000 businesses have switched water retailer since the market opened to competition earlier this year, with around 60% of those switches coming from low-water-users.

The exclusive, one-hour webinar will take place on Tuesday 25 July at 11am (BST), and will conclude with a live audience Q&A

TODAY AT 11AM: Tune into edie's free webinar on supply chain ethics

Sustainability and CSR professionals can tune into a live, interactive webinar on Tuesday 25 July, which will discuss how businesses can enhance social sustainability through ethical supply chain management.

A self-supply licence will allow the company to pay just the wholesale price, and not the retail margin added by suppliers

Marston's brewery seeks to supply own water retail services

Brewery and pub retailer Marston's has applied to Ofwat for a water self-supply licence, which would allow it to provide its own water retail services.

Major luxury brands have “kept their heads in the sand” over their responsibilities in sustainable timber sourcing, according to WWF. Photo: Brent Stirton

WWF: Luxury brands failing to source sustainable timber

Major luxury retailers such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges are failing to take sufficient action to ensure the timber of wood products they sell are not contributing to deforestation, according to new research from WWF.

From construction to hospitality, the reports will investigate what must happen in order to accelerate the transition to low-carbon, resource-efficient business models across UK industry

The state of sustainability: edie launches new series of sector summary reports

The key sustainability drivers, challenges and opportunities facing UK businesses are being explored in a new series of industry-focused edie insight reports, with the inaugural sector summary investigating the state of sustainability in retail published today (5 July).

Sector summary: The state of sustainability in retail

This edie insight report explores some of the key drivers, challenges and opportunities facing sustainable business within the UK retail sector.

The announcement marks a significant step in Aldi’s ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2020

Aldi to install 96,000 solar panels across UK stores this year

German discount supermarket chain Aldi has today (5 July) announced it will install 96,000 solar panels across more than 50 UK stores by the end of 2017.

The Efra Committee said that the new Government should force businesses over a certain size to publicly report data on food waste to create transparency

How can businesses tackle Britain's food waste problem?

Financial incentives for redistribution and publicly reported data on food waste were among the proposals put forward by business and political figures at a high-level panel discussion about food waste in Westminster.

Co-op environment manager Iain Ferguson spoke at the Resourcing the Future conference in London this week

Co-op urges waste sector to put pressure on retail recycling laggards

Britain's recycling system is suffering from a lack of coherence between the major players in the packaging and waste value chain, The Co-operative Food's environment manager has said.

The retailer has cut absolute carbon emissions by more than 20% since 2005 and is on track to achieve a 30% reduction target set for 2020

Sainsbury's commits to 100% LED lighting by 2020

Sainsbury's has become the first supermarket in the UK to make a commitment to switch to 100% LED lighting by 2020.

Coffee cups, lids and coffee grounds generated by over 300 shops, bars and restaurants across the 12-acre Canary Wharf Estate are now recycled through the use of designated bins

In practice: Canary Wharf Group's closed-loop Clean Coffee Zone

With the Canary Wharf Estate welcoming almost a million visitors every week, site owner Canary Wharf Group has seized upon an opportunity to ignite a resource revolution. Through the creation of closed-loop 'Clean Coffee Zone', coffee-related waste is now recycled and turned into new resources.

Greene King claims that it last year diverted almost 8,000 tonnes from landfill across its operations

Greene King sets zero-waste-to-landfill goal

Greene King has today (19 June) pledged to become the first UK brewer to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill across its estate, with a target date set for 2020.

Plan A has so far delivered 296 eco and ethical commitments, saving more than £750m for M&S

Plan A 2025: M&S updates flagship initiative to 'embrace a sustainable future'

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has today (1 June) launched a new roadmap for its Plan A sustainability programme, which includes targets to reduce emissions by 80% and turn the company into a zero-waste business.

Unilever goes 100% renewable across all UK manufacturing sites

Unilever has today (23 May) revealed that all of its UK manufacturing sites are 100% powered by electricity generated from certified renewable sources.

Sainsbury’s has launched pop-up ‘banana rescue’ stations across more than 500 stores nationwide

Britons waste 1.4 million edible bananas a day, research shows

The UK general public throws away 1.4 million edible bananas every day, according to research from Sainsbury's, which values the waste stream to cost around £80m a year.

H&M last month unveiled a new sustainability strategy to become 'climate positive' by 2040 through ambitious closed-loop and renewable targets

H&M pledges to double energy productivity by 2030

Clothing retail giant H&M has this week become the first international fashion retailer to sign up to The Climate Group's EP100 campaign, pledging to double its energy productivity within the next 13 years.

The incoming Government should force the UK's major retailers to publicly report data on food waste, MPs say

Food waste: Ambitious national reduction target needed, MPs say

A national food waste reduction target and greater transparency from retailers are among the steps required to reduce UK food waste levels, according to a group of MPs who claim the issue is costing the average British citizen £200 per year.

Join thousands of energy, sustainability, CSR and resource efficiency professionals at the UK's destination event for sustainable business

One month until edie Live 2017 - get your ticket now

With just one month to go until doors open for edie Live 2017 we take a look at why it is the destination event for sustainability and energy managers.

Mars' Adrian Greet and Paul Crewe of Sainsbury's were joined in the panel by WRI's Kevin Moss and OLIO co-founder Saasha Celestial-One

Mars and Sainsbury's look to packaging to reduce consumer food waste

New technologies and improved dialogue with consumers has seen brands and retailers turn to packaging in order to reduce food waste, although companies still need to dispel myths that packaging is "evil".

The Bullring in Birmingham, one of Hammerson's many retail properties

Hammerson launches all-encompassing Net Positive strategy

Retail property specialist Hammerson has become the first firm in its sector to launch a pan-European Net Positive strategy covering carbon, resource use and water consumption across internal and tenant operations.

The 12 companies will now implement a planning and consultation process with governments, NGOs and stakeholders to build the framework in time for its unveiling at COP23

Major firms commit to ending deforestation in cocoa supply chains

Senior executives from 12 leading coca and chocolate companies, including Mars, Mondelēz International and Nestlé, have heeded the advice of the Prince of Wales and agreed to end deforestation in the global cocoa supply chain.

Internal and external relations need to be fine-tuned to ensure that sustainability is treated as a core business value in other departments such as procurement and buying

Internal communication key to driving resource efficiency in fast-fashion world

Sustainability professionals working within incumbent fashion retailers need to be more closely aligned with procurement departments in order to accelerate the transition to more sustainable fashion industry.

Tesco has made a pledge that no surplus food will be wasted in its UK operations by the end of this year

Tesco unveils online supplier food waste 'hotline'

Tesco has today (13 March) launched an innovative online food waste 'hotline' to help the retailer work directly with suppliers and producers to identify and prevent potential supply chain food waste.

The end of 2016 saw Amazon exceed an incremental goal of sourcing 40% of its demand from renewable energy, and a new 50% target has been set for the end of 2017

Amazon expands renewables ambition with new solar rooftop pledge

Online retailer Amazon Web Services has pledged to deploy large-scale solar systems across 50 fulfillment and sortation centres globally by 2020, with deployments this year set to generate 41MW of renewable energy for the company.

Land Securities has installed the first hydrogen fuel cell at the BREEAM rated Walkie-Talkie skyscraper (left) in London, which also has roof-mounted solar panels

Land Securities is world's first property firm to have science-based targets approved

The UK's largest listed commercial real estate company has today (2 March) announced the approval of its science-based target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

The amount of Fairtrade cocoa sourced by Co-op will increase five-fold to 2,848 tonnes

Co-op becomes first UK retailer to source 100% Fairtrade cocoa

Co-op has become the first UK retailer to only sell and use 100% Fairtrade cocoa in its products, and has called on other retailers to increase their commitments to the Fairtrade initiative.

The public are asked to pledge their support and donate at a stand near designated bins, where they can exchange their coffee cup for a reusable model designed by manufacturer KeepCup

Canary Wharf Group launches circular coffee waste system

A pioneering initiative at the Canary Wharf estate in London has fully embraced the circular economy as the property, retail and waste management sectors join forces to recycle and reuse coffee waste.

Sainsbury's becomes first retailer to commit to 100% plastic-free cotton buds

Sainsbury's has today (22 February) become the first British retailer to publicly commit to the complete removal of plastic from its cotton buds, as the supermarket group aims to replace the current sticks with a fully biodegradable option by the end of 2017.

The organisations behind the project hope that it will fill the gap and hold company projects to account by mapping them against best practice standards

New ACT programme seeks to assess transformative business models

New methodologies to quantify the preparation of companies in the utilities, transport and retail sectors in shifting towards a low-carbon economy look set to be deployed, after year-long pilot projects highlighted the needs of these sectors.

The UK’s sharing economy is on track for continued rapid growth this year, as activity is primarily driven by more structural, longer-term trends

From disruptors to established leaders: Britain's sharing economy set for 60% upsurge in 2017

Sales generated by the UK's five biggest sharing economy sectors could grow by as much as £8bn this year, driven by an increasingly digitally literate and entrepreneurial population, according to new predictions from professional services firm PwC.

UK households binned £13bn worth of food in 2015 that could have been eaten, despite the efforts of retailers to crack down on the issue

Consumer engagement: Fitting the final piece of the food waste puzzle

With edie's engagement month in full swing, George Ogleby investigates one of the biggest challenges facing Britain's circular economy transition: consumer engagement on food waste.

The Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 19 - Inside The Body Shop's innovation lab

Rounding off a packed month of innovation-themed content, edie takes the Sustainable Business Covered podcast to Croydon to bring you an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Body Shop's new innovation laboratory.

WRI's director of food loss and waste Liz Goodwin finds it “ridiculous” that the average UK consumer is throwing away £700 worth of food every year

Liz Goodwin: Britain at risk of losing global food waste leadership

EXCLUSIVE: Britain's global leadership on food waste has "plateaued" and requires the combined effort of consumers, retailers, and policymakers to keep the nation on track with reduction commitments, the World Resources Institute's (WRI) director of food loss and waste Liz Goodwin has said.

In the UK, the number of plastic shopping bags handed out by retailers in England dropped from seven billion to just over half a billion within six months after the 5p charge was created

Plastic bag take-back: the next step towards a circular economy?

Plastic bag use is expected to fall significantly in Sweden after an innovative take-back trial conducted by Nottingham Trent University led to an 80% drop in consumer usage.

Sainsbury's has already made a further £1 million fund available to towns and cities across the UK, to help them tackle food waste at the consumer stage

Sainsbury's sees surge in demand for regional food waste campaign

As the spotlight on reducing consumer food waste intensified this week, Sainsbury’s director of corporate affairs Louise Evans has revealed that the supermarket has seen a surge in applications from town and cities to take part in its campaign to tackle household food waste.

Britain alone disposes of around 350,000 tonnes of medium-density fibreboard every year

Could this MDF recycling innovation solve a circular economy conundrum for retailers?

A breakthrough technology that recycles medium-density fibreboard (MDF) can deliver a commercially-viable process to recover wood fibre from the material, according to the solution's creator.

edie explains: ISO 14001

This edie explains business guide, produced in association with edie's supporting partner NQA, provides an in-depth summary of the ISO 14001 Standard which is used to establish and maintain a continuous level of environmental performance improvements.

WRAP also revealed that it is working to increase the number of signatories of the Commitment

Courtauld Commitment signatories aim to double food redistribution output

Signatories of the flagship Courtauld Commitment have unveiled a new ambition to double the amount of surplus food that is redistributed across the UK, while supermarket chain Waitrose has agreed to a new surplus food redistribution trial with social enterprise charity FareShare.

WRAP estimates that around 45% of UK food waste comes from the supply chain

Asda creates online food waste marketplace for suppliers

Supermarket giant Asda has launched an app that delivers an online platform for suppliers to exchange surplus food to help eliminate food waste in the supply chain.

Despite the achievements of the signatories to significantly reduce waste levels, progress to reduce household food waste at a UK level has stalled

Courtald Commitment saves major UK brands £100m of food waste

UK retailers and manufacturers have generated an estimated £100m in food waste savings over a three-year period as part of WRAP's Courtauld Commitment Phase 3, new figures released today (10 January) reveal.

Unilever’s Sustainable Living division brands are now developing 30% faster than the rest of the business

Clearer marketing can open £800bn windfall for 'sustainable' brands, says Unilever

Brands that move to promote the sustainability credentials of their products more clearly can tap into a £817bn market opportunity catalysed by a growth in awareness amongst consumers, new research from Unilever has suggested.

P&G has published a sustainability report annually since 1999 but has updated it this year to include a more comprehensive overview of the good P&G is doing

Employee engagement helps P&G hit energy reduction goal four years early

Consumer goods firm Procter & Gamble (P&G) has revealed that a new energy engagement initiative at manufacturing sites has improved energy efficiency by 5% in the last 12 months, which has seen the company hit a 2020 goal for energy reduction four years early.

Alongside offering the 'sustainable life at home' product line, Ikea now offers residential solar arrays to consumers in three countries

Ikea nears three-fold increase in sustainable product sales

The world's biggest furniture retailer Ikea has almost trebled the sales from its 'sustainable life at home' products, while also announcing a new €1bn financial framework to promote projects that fall within its People & Planet sustainability strategy.

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis is chair of the Champions 12.3, which supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 – halving food waste per capita and reducing food loss by 2030

Tesco boss calls for greater transparency to tackle food waste

EXCLUSIVE: Retailers are showing a "growing appetite" to collaborate to tackle food waste, but still need to provide clearer information and deliver better reporting standards to drive change, the chief executive of Britain's largest supermarket group has told edie.

With sub-Saharan Africa producing 6.5% of the world’s cotton, UK retailers could shorten complex supply chains by boosting economic prosperity in African countries

How Brexit can streamline retail supply chains by harnessing the growth of Africa

Brexit can place UK retailers at the vanguard of nascent agricultural and manufacturing supply sectors in Africa, but only if the UK Government retains current tariff-free access to products from the continent.

Some retailers are beginning to turn their backs on the Black Friday craze as a means to protect the environment

Black Friday: Five ways businesses are promoting sustainable shopping during the frenzy

Black Friday and its tech-savvy sibling Cyber Monday look set to send the retail sphere into a frenzy. But with consumers beginning to align to companies with sustainability credentials, will this year's shopping spree spare a thought for the environment?

An estimated 740,000 tonnes of solid food and drink waste were produced in Scottish commercial and industrial sectors in 2013

Research underpins need for Scottish business leadership on food waste

Scottish businesses have been urged to provide "clear leadership" on food waste, as new research shows that an estimated 1.35 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the country each year.

The report by Co-op calls for fellow retailers to develop more easily recycled packaging and better labelling solutions for recyclable products

Two-thirds of Britain's recyclable plastic packaging is not being recycled, finds Co-op

The majority of all recyclable consumer packaging in the UK ends up in landfill or being sent to incineration, with only a third being recycled or re-used as intended, according to new research from food retailer The Co-operative Group (Co-op).

VF’s international headquarters in Stabio, Switerland. The site was designed with an emphasis on sustainability

VF corporation exceeds carbon reduction goals by 'large margin'

International apparel and footwear company VF corporation has reduced its global carbon emissions by 12% from 2011 to 2015 - exceeding its original 5% goal for the five-year period.

Stella McCartney was the guest of honour at the 2016 Kering Talk, which brought together more than 400 fashion students and industry professionals at the London College of Fashion

Stella McCartney: Fashion is literally getting away with murder

British fashion designer Stella McCartney has called on clothing manufacturers to take more responsibility for the environmental impact of the products they produce and stop the "unglamorous" sourcing of unsustainable and unethical products.

More than 100 community leaders have signed up to the supermarket's campaign to reduce food waste across towns and cities

Sainsbury's announces second stage of food waste campaign

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has announced the next step in its "Waste less, Save More" campaign, investing £1m into towns and cities across the UK to cut back on food waste.

The process of controlling or limiting the choices available to consumers could be an important next step for the circular economy

Choice editing: a crucial next step for the circular economy?

Manufacturers and retailers should go beyond using persuasion techniques to encourage resource-efficient behaviours towards the process of 'choice editing', where hard-to-recycle products are removed from shelves or certain materials are eliminated from packaging in order to limit consumer choices around the circular economy.

The programme is being promoted through The Body Shop’s Christmas in-store and digital marketing campaign, ‘The Wildest Christmas Ever”

The Body Shop extends Southeast Asian biodiversity programme

The Body Shop has today (1 November) extended its Bio-Bridges programme which aims to regenerate 75 million square metres of forest by 2020.

M&S launched M&S Energy in 2008 in collaboration with energy company SSE

M&S Energy funds 26 community energy projects

The energy arm of British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has today (31 October) announced the winners of a £350,000 Community Energy Fund which supports a range of projects looking to install on-site clean technology systems.

Timberland has partnered with tyre manufacturer and distributor Omni United to produce a line of tyres intended to be recycled into footwear out-soles. Photo: Timberland

Timberland continues collaborative circular economy drive

Outdoor clothing company Timberland is ramping up its circular economy efforts as a number of innovative closed-loop models for footwear now approach the next stages of development.

The Furniture Recycling Group recently partnered with the University of St Andrews to transform textile recycling process in its student accommodation

Furniture manufacturers urged to solve circular economy conundrum

Britain's mattress manufacturers must become advocates of the circular economy by taking the lead on producer responsibility schemes which could significantly reduce the sector's vast waste-to-landfill rates.

There are now 286 fisheries worldwide that are MSC-certified, with 38 new additions in 2015-2016.

Retailers and restaurants stepping up to the plate on sustainable seafood

Fisheries, supermarkets and foodservice businesses are together driving up demand for traceable, sustainable seafood as a new report from the Marine Stewardship council (MSC) reveals that the volume of MSC-certified catch increased by a further 6% last year.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (centre) challenged Mike Coupe (second from right) to improve the transparency of Sainsbury’s food waste management

Sainsbury's boss clashes with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall over food waste management

Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe has fended off a fresh wave of criticism from celebrity chef-turned-eco-warrior Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about the "ridiculous system" of exacting cosmetic standards of the fruit and veg sold by Britain's supermarkets.

The Responsible Retail conference panel noted that many government attempts to mitigate supplier sustainability issues have been 'blunt methods'

Competitive retail nature placing supply chain performance at risk

EXCLUSIVE: Retailers need to ask "honest" questions as to whether current emphasis on competition over collaboration is actually stifling business growth and transparency, by damaging supply chains that can't cater to minimal standards from day one.

The skyline of Sweden's third-largest city, Malmö - where retailers are finding ‘purpose’ and economic growth, beyond shopping and consumption

The best retailers for the world: Driving responsible retail and one-planet prosperity

Low-carbon, resource-efficient retail is the only way forward, but we might also need to dig deeper if we are to find one-planet prosperity. Ahead of Wednesday's Responsible Retail Conference, Mike Townsend explores the real challenges and opportunities - along with evidence of an innovative shift - taking place in Sweden.

Patagonia has committed an estimated $1m to the campaign to help get more disenfranchised voters in the voting cubicles

US clothing firm launches voting campaign to place environment back on the ballot

American outdoor clothing company Patagonia has launched a major non-partisan environmental campaign in preparation for the upcoming Presidential election, calling on voters to elect sustainability-conscious candidates.

The Bangladesh Accord was introduced to ensure tragedies like the Rana Plaza building collapse of 2013 don't happen again

Three years on from Rana Plaza: How The Bangladesh Accord plans to leave a positive supply chain legacy

Three years on from the Rana Plaza tragedy, edie's Matt Mace speaks to the executive director of the Bangladesh Accord Rob Wayss on why the seemingly "slow movement" of improving safety standards in the country shouldn't take away from the "unprecedented progress" shown by willing brand signatories.

Kingfisher's Caroline Laurie believes that the way the DIY retailer promotes products to customers will enable it to continue to grow revenue through sustainability

Price and performance dominant factors for sustainable products, says Kingfisher

EXCLUSIVE: Companies that "plaster their products with 'eco'" are unlikely to make the same connection with consumers, compared with those creating sustainable products that offer other tangible benefits such as better price and enhanced performance.

90% of grocery managers believe that customers will buy 'imperfect' fruit and vegetables at a discount

Can 'wonky veg' unite consumers and supermarkets in the food waste battle?

With UK supermarkets struggling to meet impending food waste targets, a new questionnaire reveals that retailers believe consumers are more than willing to turn to wonky veg as a sustainable solution that would be a "clear benefit to all".

The coffee shop chain is expanding its work with the Rainforest Alliance to train-up farmers across South America. Photo: Caffé Nero/Facebook

Caffé Nero triples sustainable farming training scheme

Coffee shop chain Caffé Nero has is tripling its efforts to promote sustainable practices to coffee farmers as a means to improve the "transparency and addressability" of its supply chain.

Supported by the Sustainable Development Goals, retailers are now able to strengthen their individual CSR policies at a boardroom level

Policies, data and imports: tackling the trilemma of collaboration for Britain's retailers

In the wake of some key waste and resource efficiency issues being brought to light within the UK retail sector, edie's Matt Mace speaks to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) about how to drive collaboration in this highly-competitive market as a means to deliver low-carbon, resource-efficient ways of doing business.

edie Responsible Retail Conference programme

Can sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand? Are current retail business models fit for purpose if we are to deliver the transformational change needed to create a low-carbon, zero-waste economy? Download now.

edie's full-day, CPD-certified Responsible Retail Conference will take place on 21 September at the Inmersat Conference Centre in London

edie launches Responsible Retail Conference to discuss business-critical sustainability challenges

Retailers will be equipped with the tools they need to influence and engage with stakeholders on sustainability and realise the commercial benefits of low-carbon, resource-efficient business models at a brand new edie conference in September.

Research showed that 81% of customers planned to followed the advice provided since the launch, while two million customers are making changes in the homes as a result of the scheme

Asda becomes first supermarket to show customer food waste savings

Asda customers have saved £57 a year on average after the supermarket chain launched a campaign to tackle domestic food waste.

The coca used in Tesco products will be sourced through a variety of sustainability programmes run by the Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Cocoa Horizons and Fairtrade

Tesco finds an appetite for 100% sustainably sourced cocoa

Supermarket giant Tesco has revealed that it will acquire all cocoa used for its own label chocolate, biscuits, cakes, deserts and cereal products sold in the UK from Rainforest Alliance Certified sources by the end of 2018.

Earlier this year, France implemented a ban on supermarkets forbidding them from throwing away unsold food

EFRA launches food waste inquiry as Europe gears up to tackle supermarket waste

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has launched a new inquiry to establish the impacts of the seven million tonnes of food waste produced in the UK, as a European-wide campaign to ban supermarkets from throwing away food closes in on a major milestone.

Current regulations concerning the redistribution of food very near or past its use-by date make it expensive for food retailers to redistribute to charities

M&S expands redistribution trials for frozen perishable food

Marks and Spencer (M&S) has been provided with 'assured advice' from Westminster City Council to expand a trial aiming to redistribute chilled and perishable food waste to local charities.

Members should receive investment returns at an annual rate of 5% for the first three years

M&S invites customers to invest in community solar project

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched a unique collaborative initiative designed to generate renewable electricity from solar panels installed on the retailer's stores.

The 48-page M&S Plan A report reveals a further 22 commitments were achieved in 2015/16 and good progress was made in engaging its 32 million customers on sustainability. Photo: M&S

'The world never stands still': M&S continues green business evolution with Plan A update

Nearly three-quarters of products now have an 'eco' or ethical quality; retail food waste has significantly declined, and energy and water efficiency have greatly improved, capping off another hugely successful year of progress for Marks & Spencer's (M&S) Plan A sustainability programme.

Removing phosphates from Fairy dishwasher tablets is the latest action to further P&G’s environmental credentials

Procter & Gamble to eliminate phosphates from dishwasher tablets globally

Consumer goods firm Procter & Gamble has announced a new innovation which will end phosphate use from all retail and professional Fairy dishwasher tablets by 2017, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of its products in addition to improving cleaning performance.

The Body Shop today installed five six-foot moneys along Westminster Bridge in London, to mark the launch of its new Bio-Bridges programme Photo: Getty Images for The Body Shop

How The Body Shop is using 'monkey dating' to tackle deforestation

The Body Shop has today (24 May) officially launched its new Bio-Bridges programme, which aims to regenerate and reconnect 75 million square metres of damaged forests, as part of the beauty products retailer's ambitious new CSR strategy.

Workshop spaces and a tour of the premises will be available to visitors during the grand opening of the Remakery, located at 125 Leith Walk

Edinburgh launches 'Remakery' to ignite re-use and repair revolution

An Edinburgh social enterprise has set up a unique re-use and repair superstore to encourage second-hand shopping and enable more people to learn key repair skills in the Scottish capital, as a way of driving a circular economy.

Primark will increase its work with WRAP to acquire more sustainable fibre choices, while working to incorporate recycled materials over virgin options as part of the SCAP initiative

Primark signals intention to join WRAP in war on fashion waste

EXCLUSIVE: High street retailer Primark plans to ramp up its ambitions to drive resource efficiency within the fashion sector, after revealing clear intentions to sign up to WRAP's Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) and the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP) initiatives.

Applications for the M&S Energy Community Energy Fund are now open and will close on 31 May

M&S Energy re-launches £350,000 community energy fund

Marks and Spencer (M&S) Energy has launched the second edition of its Community Energy Fund to offer local energy projects across the UK up to £350,000 in funding.

L'Oréal chases "carbon-balanced" commitment as footprints shrink

Cosmetics giant L'Oréal has made significant progress in its sustainable development plan, with figures showing the company is on course to reach targets to reduce emissions, water consumption and waste generation by 60% by 2020.

The announcement from M&S marks a welcome progression in the movement towards sustainable seafood in the retail industry

M&S becomes first retailer to make Responsible Fishing pledge

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has made an industry-leading commitment to support and improve the environmental sustainability of the fishing sector by signing up to the UK's Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS).

The eco-pod café concept, pictured here in Telford, incorporates an array of innovative energy-saving technologies that could have a huge impact on the future of green building design

Costa eyes four more 'zero-energy' coffee shops in the next year

EXCLUSIVE: Whitbread-owned Coffee shop chain Costa is planning to introduce at least four more of its innovative 'zero-energy' coffee shops across the UK within the next 12 months, after a pilot store in Shropshire delivered significant energy savings for the hospitality group.

In order to incentivise the #NeverBeenWorn campaign, Oxfam is offering a free service for the first 500 participants

Oxfam tackles fashion waste through redistribution scheme

Oxfam have joined forces with the UK's largest independent parcel delivery service CollectPlus to offer a convenient way for people to return unwanted clothing from the nation's wardrobes, after research showed that a total of 350 million items are unused in the UK.

Store emissions have been reduced by 35% since 2005 meaning they are more than halfway to a 50% target for 2020

British retailers on track to meet energy, water and waste reduction pledges

The UK's biggest retailers including ASDA, Sainsbury's and Argos have collectively reduced carbon emissions by 19% over the past decade, with a 6% reduction in 2014 alone, according to new figures.

Sainsbury's has removed more than 50% of multi-buy promotions from its food isles

Sainsbury's ditches 'BOGOF' sales to ease food waste

Sainsbury's has announced that it is scrapping multi-buy promotions across its food retail outlets in an effort to ease growing customer concerns about food waste and price logistics.

The retailer's ‘LED dream’ is underpinned through the ongoing M&S Plan A sustainability strategy

M&S eyes 100% LED-lit estate by 2025

Marks & Spencer (M&S) wants to build on "the most comprehensive, wide-ranging sustainability plan in retail" by fitting out its entire UK estate with LED lighting by 2025.

Greener shops could boost profits, says Green Building Council

Retailers can boost their profits by providing greener, 'healthier' stores, a major new report from the World Green Building Council (WGBC) has claimed.

RE100 projects that the current group of 53 signatories will reach an average of 80% renewable electricity by 2020

RE100 companies halfway to 100% renewable target

The 53 companies that have signed up to the RE100 pledge to source 100% renewable energy are on average, halfway to their goals, a new report by The Climate Group and CDP shows.

A Guide to Implementing Energy Savings Opportunities

Undertaking ESOS audits is intended to help businesses to identify opportunities to save energy – DECC analysis suggests that businesses could save over £250m (and 3TWh of energy) per year if they achieve just 5% of the cost-effective energy efficiency potential that audits should identify for buildings and industrial processes and modest savings on their transport energy consumption.